


shallow water

by pyrality



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-11
Updated: 2013-12-11
Packaged: 2018-01-04 07:52:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1078434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrality/pseuds/pyrality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kagami thinks it’s a little like wading in shallow water, feeling ice cold rings encircling your feet, marveling at the beauty of still water.</p>
            </blockquote>





	shallow water

**Author's Note:**

> Kagami and Kuroko's friendship, more like one of my favorite friendships in the show.  
> Himuro is fucking hard to write, so I'm sorry for the abruptness and shittiness of this fic. I just had no inspiration but I wanted to get it done to post in time for KagaHimu day.

"Oi, can I see the chapter seven notes again real quick?" Kagami asks, holding out his hand across the table.  
  
Kuroko doesn’t even look up from his textbook and just picks up the pages to his right and offers them.  
  
"Denial never suited you to start off, Kagami-kun," the blue-haired teen says when he feels Kagami’s fingers close onto the paper.  
  
The Seirin ace almost tears the study notes when he reflexively jerks his hand back, but Kuroko lets go before any damage is done. He glares when Kuroko raises his gaze to look at his friend knowingly under his lashes. There is a faint smile on his lips when he looks back at his textbook. Kagami hates it sometimes, how Kuroko always seems to know what he’s thinking. He makes a frustrated noise and rubs at his forehead in irritation.  
  
"I hope you’ve learned some tact since the time you made Momoi-san cry," Kuroko says, a lingering tone of amusement in his voice.  
  
Kagami feels his cheeks flush hot and he groans, placing a hand over his face. Furthermore, he hates how Kuroko always knows exactly where to poke to make him self-conscious.  
  
"Don’t you have a better hobby to pursue besides teasing me all the time, you bastard?" he growls, irritated.  
  
"Ah, you’re not special, Kagami-kun," Kuroko says easily, the barest smile on his lips. For someone so subdued, Kagami knows that the other teen can be quite mischievous. He turns the page and scrawls down some notes.  
  
"At any rate," Kagami sucks in a deep breath before letting it go. He turns away so he doesn’t have to watch Kuroko’s reaction. He scratches the back of his neck sheepishly as he says his next words, "I'm not sure I'm going to do anything about it yet."

The shorter teen’s eyes flicker up to meet the Seirin ace’s briefly. “Perhaps I need to stage an intervention. Himuro-kun won’t be in town for that long, correct?”  
  
"Hey, don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Kagami reprimands, leaning forward, narrowing his eyes warningly.  
  
"I wouldn't worry so much, Kagami-kun." The blue-haired boy just shakes his head gently, continuing to scratch down his notes. He glances up a glint of humor in his pale eyes. "Exams are coming up and I haven't time to concern myself with Kagami-kun's tragic love life."  
  
Kuroko nimbly ducks back to dodge the redhead's lunge.

@@@  
  
Himuro and the rest of the Yosen team are on leave from their school for a week to go to a basketball training camp in Tokyo. Himuro informed him beforehand he would be dropping in to hang out during free time since it'd been awhile since they've seen each other. Kagami hates to admit it, but his nervousness about the idea of seeing his brother and friend after what happened at Winter Cup bled through to classes and basketball practice. The redhead is equal parts grateful and disdainful of Kuroko's perceptive nature, because it's the blue-haired teen who confronts him about his behavior.  
  
"You're scaring the team with your anxiety," Kuroko had said bluntly, expression innocent even as he stepped closer with Nigou panting happily in his arms.  
  
"Step back, you asshole," Kagami had retorted warily, hands flying up automatically in defense.  
  
The shorter teen's eyes had twinkled and Kagami knew this would be a battle he was not going to win. He said nothing of his internal thoughts beyond some anxiety about seeing Himuro again and wondering about the state of their friendship, but Kuroko always seems to know there's more than just what's said.  
  
Kagami's checked his text messages and he already knows Himuro should be dropping in not too long after he gets back. So he's surprised when he opens the door to his apartment and smells hot food and hears the sizzle of the stove in the kitchen.  
  
"You're back already?" Himuro's voice comes from the kitchen, tone surprised but amused. He peeks out from behind the counter, a wistful smile on his lips. He turns back to the stove. "You're quite a bit earlier than expected."  
  
Kagami feels himself flush slightly. "Kuroko and I finished our notes for the new homework chapter early, that's all," he mutters as he toes his shoes off and slides into his house slippers.  
  
The Seirin ace tosses his backpack down onto the couch and pads slowly towards the kitchen, lingering in the doorway when he gets there. It's... _odd_  to see Himuro cooking, maybe because it's been awhile since Kagami has seen him do so. Back in the states, Himuro seldom cooked for himself although Alex taught them both how to. It wasn't something he took a particular interest in like Kagami did. The redhead shakes his head to clear his thoughts and instead, he focuses his attention on the Yosen teen. Since Himuro is three inches shorter than him, the apron falls a little lower and the strings are loosely tied around his hips. His beauty mark is clear below his sharp green-grey eyes. His hair are a little shorter than Kagami remembers; maybe he got it cut since Winter Cup.  
  
There's some sense of relief in Kagami's heart, and the tightness in his chest begins to fade. Himuro means so much to him and after the match against Yosen he didn't want to lose their relationship... whatever it was now. Whether it's a relationship of brotherhood or friendship or rivalry or a mix of all three, Himuro matters to him. As Kuroko easily figured out, Kagami's just come to terms with the fact that his feelings for the black-haired teen may run a little deeper than just friendship, but he's not sure he wants to do anything about bringing it to Himuro's attention anytime soon.  
  
Himuro glances up at him with an inquisitive look before sighing. "I may not be as good of a cook as you, Taiga, but you don't need to have such a scary look on your face. I live alone as well, so I cook for myself. I like to think I've gotten better--"  
  
"That's not it. It's just... you didn't have to cook, you know," Kagami mumbles. He scratches the back of his neck, dropping his gaze, feeling a little embarrassed he had been staring so much. "You're the guest here."  
  
"Hmm." Himuro chuckles, making the redhead look up to see the other smiling as he turns back to the stove. "It's unlike you to be shy, Taiga."  
  
"M'not!" he snaps back, a little too quickly and a little too loudly. He feels his cheeks bloom with heat.  
  
Himuro's lips curve up further, but he doesn't say anything.  
  
Kagami makes an excuse of setting the table just so he can save face. Himuro hums in acknowledgement, but the Seirin ace doesn't miss the amusement radiating from the older teen as he ducks past him to grab plates from the cupboard. Kagami busies himself with the dinnerware, willing the flush in his cheeks and the rapidness of his heartbeat to die down.  
  
By the time Himuro brings out the food and they settle down to eat, Kagami feels like he's managed some control over the butterflies in his stomach.  
  
"How did you get in anyway?" he asks suddenly as the thought occurs to him.  
  
Himuro pauses, setting the piece of broccoli back into his bowl. "Your landlady was very kind and understanding when I told her the situation," he says, smiling a little mischievously.  
  
Kagami scoffs, "You definitely flirted with her." He knows Himuro can get away with it too-- he's always been ridiculously popular with women of all ages, even when he was younger.  
  
"Does that make you jealous?" His voice is tainted with a teasing lilt, but there's an undertone there the Seirin ace can't quite discern.  
  
Kagami chokes on his soba, feeling his eyes water in reaction. He glares at Himuro with blurry eyes, coughing. "You don't have to remind me you're popular with girls, Tatsuya. I remember well enough."  
  
Himuro looks to the side, contemplative, expression still muted and reticent.   
  
Kagami doesn't like it, really, how both Himuro and Kuroko make it so hard for him to understand what's on their mind sometimes. He's not as dumb as the others tease him as being-- he can be observant, but only when he's watching other peoples' relationships play out. He's _terrible_ when it comes to analyzing his own relationships.  
  
The Yosen player can be expressive when he wants to be or in desperate moments of his own loss of control, but otherwise Kagami still feels like he has to make his best guess as to what the other is thinking. He realizes he should probably be irritated at the mixed signals he gets from Himuro, but in reality, he's fascinated. He's enraptured by everything about Himuro he doesn't know, fascinated by the glimpses he's seen of the emotional side of him. Kagami thinks the burst of emotion he gets out of Himuro sometimes is refreshing even if Himuro himself believes it's ugly and human and tries to hide it.   
  
He thinks it's a little like wading in shallow water, feeling ice cold rings encircling your feet, marveling at the beauty of still water. Trapped by curiosity, wondering what lies in the depths of the water, underneath a perfectly still surface.  
  
"You're the one with a really heated heart between the two of us," Himuro says suddenly, gaze flickering up to meet Kagami's. And it bothers the redhead that the look in his visible eye seems to be troubled. "It's not often that I see you being so reserved instead of just saying what's in your mind."  
  
"Sorry, it's nothing," Kagami insists. He stuffs his mouth hurriedly with food to keep from saying anything he might regret. Himuro's cooking _is_  good, in fact, it's much better than what the teen was giving himself credit for--  
  
"I'm sorry," Himuro says abruptly, softly.   
  
He looks alarmingly vulnerable as he drops his gaze into his lap. Kagami's ashamed that he feels grateful for the visible display of emotion because he doesn't want to have to guess and tiptoe around this. It's rare for Himuro to let his poker face down and Kagami knows he should take advantage of this, but the redhead finds a knot in his throat where he wanted words to be.  
  
Himuro continues quietly, "It's my fault you don't want to say anything, right?" He laughs, self-deprecating and disgusted. "I was petty before; I still _am_ if I'm honest. And I'm still terribly jealous of your natural basketball talent, but I don't want to let that ruin our relationship."  
  
"Tatsuya-- it's-- it's _fine,_ " Kagami manages to intercept. He swallows the knot in his throat, trying to find the right words to say. "I just-- I _missed_  you," he manages, voice shaky but audible. "I missed _us_."  
  
Himuro's wide eyes soften and he smiles. "I missed us too."  
  
And the hopefulness in his tone when he says those words is enough for Kagami.


End file.
